


I Heard That Your Dreams Came True

by justkisa



Category: Football RPF, MCFC RPF
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-02
Updated: 2012-07-02
Packaged: 2017-11-09 00:54:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/449455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justkisa/pseuds/justkisa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Things have changed. Even if David hadn't realized it. Even if David didn't want them to.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Heard That Your Dreams Came True

**Author's Note:**

> **WARNING:** This story has been edited from its original version to remove Adam Johnson as a major character. I have recently taken down many of my stories which feature him as a character. For an explanation go [here](http://justkisa.tumblr.com/post/139054037258/adam-johnson). However, please note, there is still a brief mention of him in the story.

[ ](http://s1203.photobucket.com/albums/bb396/justkisa/?action=view&current=ds_cm_v_villarreal_11_2_11edited.jpg)

Carlos comes to Manchester dressed in bright yellow. As they shake hands before the game, David thinks, Carlos’ smile is still the same and so is the warmth in Carlos’ voice when he says David’s name. David’s not sure why he thought Carlos would be different. It’s just that Carlos looks strange in that vivid yellow--wrong--but, even as David thinks it, he looks down at the blue of his own jersey. He never thought he’d get used to that blue but now he looks at it and thinks _us--that’s us that blue--that’s City._ Maybe the yellow is the same for Carlos.

The game ends with Kun’s goal--with the kind of desperate, frantic joy that comes only from winning at the very last moment. When it’s actually over, when the final whistle blows, David makes his way across the pitch looking for Carlos. Pablo grabs David as David passes him and pulls David close. Then Kun’s there. He presses into David’s side and whispers nonsense in David’s ear. Pablo hauls them both close and squeezes them tight. David almost wants to stay there, pressed between them, but he wants to find Carlos more. 

David finally spots Carlos. Carlos is with his teammates. They’ve surrounded the referee. David recognizes the look on Carlos’ face. He knows what it means. There was a time when David would have gone to Carlos’ side without hesitation no matter the situation. But now David looks at Carlos’ face and knows he can’t go to Carlos. David can’t face Carlos when it’s _his team’s_ actions fueling Carlos’ anger. That--more, even, than the game itself--is a vicious, unwanted reminder that David’s side _is not Carlos’ side._ David’s side might never be Carlos’ side again. David doesn’t want to face that. Not today. So David turns away. He walks away without looking back.

The next day David calls Carlos. The phone rings for a very long time but Carlos doesn’t answer. David hangs up without leaving a message. David stares at the phone for a long moment then he calls Carlos again. Carlos still doesn’t answer. This time David leaves a message.

After the game against United, Carlos finally calls David back. They don’t talk for long. “Congratulations,” Carlos says. David thanks him and then there’s only silence. As recently as the summer, David would have known what to say to fill the silence between them but now he can’t find the words. _I’m sorry_ , David thinks, but he doesn’t say it. He’s not even sure what he’s sorry for. The call lasts barely a minute.

***

They go to Spain and David finds it familiar and strange all at once. When they all go out together and walk around, James nudges David and says, “Must be good to be home, huh?”

David thinks for a moment of Arguineguín, of the feel of sand under his bare feet--of the wide, vividly blue expanse of the ocean. This might be Spain but it isn’t home. “Is not--” David stops. He doesn’t know how to explain. “It is nice,” he finally says.

James nudges David again. “You miss it?” he asks quietly. 

David nods and looks away. “Of course.” 

James puts his arm around David’s shoulders. “Manchester’s okay though, right?” 

David looks back toward James. James smiles tentatively. There was a time, when Manchester was just too new, when it was just a reminder of everything David missed, that David would have had to lie to keep that smile on James' face. Not anymore. Manchester isn’t exactly home--isn’t really anything like home--but David’s learned to appreciate it for what it is. David leans into James' side and bumps his hip against James'. “Yes,“ he says, “is okay.”

James' smile twists a bit. “Not like home, though, huh?” 

David forgets sometimes that Manchester isn’t any more James' home than it is his. David wraps his arm around James' waist and pulls him closer. “No,” David says with soft commiseration, “is not like home.” 

“No,” James says. David wonders what James is thinking of--wonders what things mean home for James. James squeezes David’s shoulders. David lets himself lean into the comfort of James' warm, familiar closeness. “No,” James says again, “no, it’s not.”

***

David doesn’t think about seeing Carlos until he actually sees him. Before the game in Manchester, seeing Carlos was all David could think about. Not tonight. Tonight David’s too absorbed in other things. They _have_ to win this game. David can’t afford distractions.

When David passes Carlos and shakes his hand, Carlos smiles and says David’s name. David reaches out and briefly touches Carlos’ shoulder. Carlos smiles a little wider and says David’s name again. He ruffles David’s hair and pats David’s cheek. His touch is so achingly familiar and David wants to just turn his face into Carlos’ palm. But David has a game to win. He has to beat Carlos. He can’t even look at Carlos. Can’t smile. David drops Carlos’ hand and keeps walking. He doesn’t look back towards Carlos.

***

The pain is sudden and utterly unwelcome. David wants to play. He _needs_ to play. No matter that they’re two goals up, he _needs_ to stay here on the pitch. He tries to keep going for few minutes but he just _can’t_ and that’s worse than the pain.

David can hear the applause, the sheer noise, as he goes off. He lifts his hands and claps. The pain stabs sharp and unforgiving in his back. He touches Adam’s hands as he comes off. He wants to say, _win_ , you have to _win_ , to make _sure_. He doesn’t say anything. Adam knows. 

David goes to the bench and slumps down into his seat. He tries to focus on the game but the pain distracts him. The physio hovers in front of David and David can see the worry on his face. “Come on,” he says, David can’t remember his name right now, “let’s check you out.” David nods and lets the physio help him up and shepherd him down the tunnel. 

After the physio finishes checking David out, David makes his way back up the tunnel because if he can’t play then he can at least _watch_. He stops at the mouth of the tunnel and watches from there. Yaya had scored before David had gone for treatment and put them 3 up but David still worries his way through the rest of the game. He watches his teammates pass and thinks, _there_ and _there_ and _no not there but there_. He itches to be back out on the pitch. He can almost feel the ball at his feet.

The final whistle blows. They’ve won. Someone had said before the game that no English team had ever won here but they _have_. David stays where he is. He doesn’t go back out onto the pitch. Every one of his teammates that passes him reaches out and touches him. They ask, “How are you?” and “Feeling okay?” David smiles every time and says, “Fine, I’m fine.” And he is because _they won_. 

The Villarreal players, even the ones David knows, they all ignore David. David can’t blame them and more than that he doesn’t care. There’s only one Villarreal player David wants to see. 

When Carlos comes off the pitch, he comes straight toward David. He holds out his hand and David takes it. “Hello,” David starts to say and Carlos’ face freezes.

Carlos laughs a little and says, “And you were worried you’d never learn.” 

David doesn’t understand. “What?” he asks.

Carlos smiles and says softly, “David, you said it in English.” 

“Oh,” David says. He doesn’t know what else to say. 

Carlos just shakes his head. “I told you not to worry, didn’t I? Told you, you would learn.”

David thinks of South Africa. Thinks of all the time he spent terrified that going to England would be the worst mistake he ever made. But Carlos had been sure David would be just fine. David smiles. “You did, didn’t you?”

Carlos lets go of David’s hand and lightly cuffs David’s shoulder. “You should learn to listen to me. You know I’m always right.”

David rolls his eyes. “Sure. Always.” 

Carlos nods. “Always,” he says lightly then, with more seriousness, he adds, “England, it’s good for you. Your playing, God--” He pauses then he says, with more sincerity than David can bear, “David it’s--I’m glad to see it. You’re doing so well.” 

“You--” David starts to say. He stops. He desperately tries to think of a response that isn’t just a polite lie. “--you--”

Carlos smiles but it doesn’t reach his eyes. He reaches out and pats David’s shoulder. “It’s okay, David, it’s all right.” 

David fumbles his hand over Carlos’ and presses it against his shoulder. “Carlos,” David says desperately, “Carlos--” 

Carlos squeezes David’s shoulder. “It’s okay,” he says softly, “David, it’s okay.” 

“I--” _Miss you._ For a moment, standing there, his hand clasped over Carlos’, he misses Carlos so much the intensity of it chokes him. But that’s not why he can’t force out the words, it’s because he doesn’t always miss Carlos. Not anymore. Not the way he used to. He squeezes Carlos’s hand--squeezes it so tightly that the bones of Carlos’ hand dig uncomfortably into his palm. “Carlos, I--” David looks away. He can’t look at Carlos anymore. 

Carlos pulls his hand out from under David’s. For a desperate second, David thinks Carlos is just going to leave. He looks back just as Carlos reaches out and pulls him close. David ends up with his face pressed into Carlos’ chest. Carlos doesn’t say anything. He just holds David tight. “I miss you.” David mumbles it like a secret into Carlos’ chest. 

“I know,” Carlos says quietly as he rubs his hand up and down David’s back, “I know.” He gently pushes David back. 

David clings to Carlos’ jersey. “Can I?” David tugs on Carlos’ jersey. “I want--”

Carlos smiles. “Of course, David,” he says. He pushes David’s hands away and starts to pull off his jersey. David makes slow work of his own jersey. Carlos waits patiently for him to finish and then holds out his jersey. “Here.” 

“Thanks,” David says and hands over his own jersey.

Carlos turns the jersey over in his hands. “I’ll hang it on my wall.” 

“You won’t.” David says with a smile. Carlos never hangs jerseys on his walls. 

Carlos shrugs. “Maybe I will.” 

David looks down at Carlos’ jersey. He stares at it for a moment, stares at the bold letters of Carlos’ name on the back-- _Marchena_. Then David does something he never does. He puts it on. It’s too big for him and it hangs awkwardly off him. David doesn’t care. It smells like Carlos. It’s like being surrounded by him. David wants to take that feeling with him. He looks up at Carlos and smiles.

Carlos opens his mouth to say something but then James is there. He pats David’s shoulder and says, “Hey, hey David, how’re you--” He stops and looks between David and Carlos. “Oh, sorry, hey, didn’t mean to--” He leaves his hand on David’s shoulder.

“Carlos--” David starts to say. 

Carlos cuts him off. “Goodbye David.” It sounds ominously final. 

“I’ll,” David says fiercely, like he can make it true just by saying it, “I’ll see you soon.” 

Carlos smiles. “Of course, David.” He’s always been better at the polite lie than David. David forces himself to smile. Carlos reaches out and pats David’s shoulder then he turns and walks away. 

“Who was that?” James asks. He still has his hand on David’s shoulder.

“That’s Carlos. We,” David says as he watches Carlos go, “we, ah,” he glances at James, “we used to play together.”


End file.
